


The Will of Words

by ThatStrangeBrunette



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Cuddles, Don't Like Don't Read, Dragons, Fighting, Fluff, Happy Ending, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Magic, Mainly AkaFuri, Possible smut, Slow Burn, Supernatural - Freeform, Yaoi, extreme fluff, help me, magic furi, male x male, my words are absolute, warrior Akashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-05-18 02:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5895325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatStrangeBrunette/pseuds/ThatStrangeBrunette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi has forgotten what it feels like to be alive, he missed the thrills and adrenaline that pumped through his veins after leaving basketball behind. But when he discovers a gateway to a new world in his backyard, the possibilities become endless and all it takes is for him to jump.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Magnolia Tree

**Author's Note:**

> I DON'T OWN KNB OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTFUL OWNERS
> 
> Expect lots of akafuri, lots and lots XD this chapter may be a little rough as it is my first time writing fanfiction and posting here, so i'm still very new. The other mentioned parings are mostly side parings and maybe just hinted at in most situations. in this universe Riko, Teppei, Takao, Himuro Furihata and others only exist beyond the gateway and never played basketball, the generation of miracles exist but they are disbanded. updates may be irregular, i'm sorry ^^' also sorry for any errors/ spelling mistakes! 
> 
> I'll love any comments/ kudo's <3

Chapter 1

A soft breeze rolled in from the mountains stirring the long blades of lush grass. Akashi sighed as the tension slowly slipped from his shoulders, today had indeed been a long day. He sat in the shade of the magnolia tree behind the Akashi estate, subconsciously running his fingers through the long grass; watching as the bright pink flower petals rained down around him. The morning had started off badly when he had to deal with some troublesome business partners from a major electronics company in south Tokyo. Akashi discussed business with the two irritating old men and he smiled dangerously, using both charm and intimidation to bend them to his will. They signed the contracts and he sent them to his father for the final mark off before retreating to his room for a while. The redhead progressed through his day slowly: writing contracts, signing paperwork, winning over powerful clients and slowly but gradually expanding the Akashi Empire.

After Akashi had graduated high school he had immediately took his righteous place in his father’s company and the older Akashi had begrudgingly admitted that his son was an asset after sealing multiple high staking business deals. Akashi had slyly smirked at the old man’s words, his eyes narrowed in satisfaction. He knew that one day he would take over the business and improve it more than his father ever could. He closed his eyes and lay back in the grass. After a few moments passed he raised his hand and caught a small pink petal between his index finger and thumb. He sighed for the hundredth time within the span of his day as second thoughts wove their way into his consciousness. He knew that if he took over his father’s company he would be the most successful in Japan after all he was a prodigy, not just in basketball but he was smart, strategic and skilled in handling the business world; his looks were also a benefit in most situations as well. He let the petal go and it silently fluttered to the ground.

Work had been quickly piling up and clients became more tiresome to deal with, he was losing contact with his friends from both the Rakuzan team and the generation of miracles. His father was still distant and cold towards him; he had been like that ever since his mother had passed away when he was young. He dearly missed his mother as she had been one of the few who showed constant affection towards the young Seijuro and treated him like a child, not a prodigy.

As he grew he felt as if something was missing, he knew the terrified looks people shot at him when they thought he wasn’t looking. Those looks didn’t affect him as much but when people actively avoided him in a painfully obvious way it both annoyed and saddened him. A few girls had confessed their love to him in the past but he turned them away not liking any of them, sure some of them were beautiful but he felt nothing towards them; no emotion at all. He wanted someone that would make his heart race and bring a smile to his usually expressionless face. He looked at the sky through the branches of the magnolia tree and pondered what that person would look like, whether they would be male or female. It wasn’t exactly obvious to most but his teammates and the generation of miracles idiots had known that he was bisexual; they were betting he preferred guys though and often made comment about their presumptions. A glare from Akashi had shut them up faster than one could blink. The redhead closed his eyes, his brows pulling together in mild frustration. He didn’t have time to ponder something as stupid as love; he had a company to manage and a reputation to uphold. Even though he kept repeating this to himself he found that each time he repeated it he seemed to doubt the words even more.

To an outsider Akashi looked like the envisioned emperor who was in complete control of every situation; they all knew that his words were indeed absolute. He had grown up as a child prodigy, top of the class, feared and respected by all; a boy who only knew the taste of victory. Akashi had never lost and was never defied by anyone; not even his own father. Although this all changed after the loss against Seirin in the winter cup finals. He had mellowed slightly and was more passive but in many situations he could still be very volatile.

Akashi knew that he needed a change of pace; he wanted something that would thrill him similar to how his high schooling basketball games once did. He grew more tired and angry with his father each passing day. He also despised how everyone seemed to avoid him even though a tiny part of him was smug at the power he held over them.

He loosened his tie and opened his eyes again, watching the petals dance in the breeze. He needed a distraction right now; anything to avoid the turmoil occurring within his mind. He chose to study each falling petal observing their different shape, size and colour. He was focused on one in particular when it just seemed to vanish… there one second and gone the next. He blinked, his jaw a little slack from surprise. He focused on another petal and after watching it spiral towards the ground for a few seconds it too vanished. He sat up quickly and continued watching this strange phenomenon as it unfolded before him. Some petals vanished while others silently floated to the ground. His eyes narrowed into slits as he tried to process what was happening, he continued to closely examine the tree. After paying more attention to it he noticed that two branches which were the approximate size of his forearm seemed to form the shape of a semi recognisable circle; other branches crossed over and weaved around the original two that indeed appeared be forming a circle of sorts. He watched as every petal that floated through this circle seemed to vanish. He stood and picked up a small stone from the base of the tree. He threw it up and caught it again before moving closer to the tree. He pulled his arm back and tossed the stone, his aim was perfect and true to his observations the rock also vanished after passing between the branches. With the grace of a cat he silently climbed the tree without dirtying his suit. He sat on a branch in front of the natural structure and examined the intertwined branches. His eyes narrowed when he noticed carved markings running along the branches, the symbols were foreign to him but more suspicions arose as he wondered who had dared trespass on the estate to carve the strange symbols in the lone magnolia tree.

He had many questions but no one to ask. He wouldn’t dream of asking his father; he hated the old man and would never stoop so low as to ask him for help. He contemplated asking one of the many servants but they were all afraid of him. He clicked his tongue knowing he’d have to find out on his own. He cautiously but confidently reached forwards but paused right before the branches. The red head looked around to make sure no-one was watching him up in the tree as he sat there with his legs dangling from the branch not looking like the envisioned greatness but more like a curious child. Once he was satisfied no-one was around the resumed his trials. When his fingers touched the space within the branches the air seemed to waver and ripple for a few seconds before the tips of his fingers vanished completely. He snatched his hand back, his eyes gleaming at the discovery. He decided that it had to be a gateway of sorts, possibly to another realm or dimension. His eyebrows pulled together in a frown, he was thinking crazy thoughts; there’s no such thing as alternate dimensions. He reached forwards again, a little further this time. The air shimmered and wavered as his whole hand disappeared. Excitement thrummed in his chest, there was something strange going on yet it had captured his interests; maybe there was another world which he had yet to discover.

The thought of another world to both explore and conquer brought a dangerous smile to his lips, his emperor eye blazed at the idea. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the strange symbols glowed softly, he pulled his hand back and they dimmed once again. It must have been a sign that when the symbols glowed the gateway was active. He was still partially in denial that any of this was happening but the excitement had overpowered any doubts that he was indeed perched in front of a gateway to another dimension. He realised how well it was hidden from onlookers as he had only noticed through observing the petals and not the gate itself. He was about to cross through the gate as curiosity ate at him but he paused and leaned back again. The redhead wondered if he would be able to return to his home but as the wasted minutes passed his resolve hardened. He looked at his watch, 3.55pm. His father wouldn’t be out of his office yet and he grinned. The old man could find some other poor soul to boss around. He gingerly stood on the branch making sure it didn’t break under him and once he was sure it would hold he looked at the gateway. His face expressed excitement as he jumped from the branch and flew the short distance between his take off position and the gateway. He pulled his legs up so he would make it through easily.

Silence filled the space that the redhead had left behind as he vanished through the gate, the air surrounding him rippling a silvery colour before settling once again.


	2. You're asking us to fight!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next installment of this fic where the generation of miracles and Akashi meet up and get informed of why they were summoned to this strange world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for this fic let's just say Kagami is a part of the GOM, ehhh a new edition i guess XD  
> I do not own knb or its characters  
> enjoy~
> 
> I'm posting this chapter today based on the fact that I'm moving house in a few days so I may not get the chance to write the next chapter for a while XD

Ch 2 

The temperature had dropped considerably and Akashi felt the hairs rising along the back of his neck and he opened his eyes. His lips parted in awe as he drank in his surroundings. He stood between two large old magnolia trees, as years had passed their branches intertwined over his head to form an arch. The blossoms caught the suns bright rays in ways that seemed to make them glow beautiful shades of pinks and red. He stepped out from under the archway and felt the wind ruffle his hair. A breath escaped him as he looked around more. He stood on a small island that appeared to be floating. He blinked a few times in shock and wandered over to the edge of the island where a waterfall ran down the side and into the bottomless abyss in which the chunk of earth resided. The grass was many vibrant shades of green that waved softly in the wind, there appeared to be no weeds just long smooth grass scattered with tiny flowers which varied in colour. Akashi was both awed and impressed as he looked around further. Two large boulders with runes similar to those on the tree stood tall either side of what appeared to be a stable rope bridge which connected this island to another island. Beyond the bridge were a multitude of similar islands scattered varying in height and size. Some were joined by thick vines, or had waterfalls running over their edges; others floated freely. The bigger islands made up pieces of mountain and forest terrain while smaller ones just grew grass, the really small ones wouldn’t even fit Akashi on them.  
The red head stood at the entrance of the bridge and tested to see its stability, he really didn’t want to find out if this world was indeed as bottomless as it appeared. To his satisfaction the bridge didn’t even creak under his weight and he fully stepped out onto the bridge. He crossed rope structure and then another two before stepping foot onto larger island. He looked up and could now see that not too far away from him was a city that had been built up upon a mountain. The building designs consisted of a traditional Japanese and western style mixed in with each other. Both beautiful and ornate, large archways and stone decorations could be seen even from Akashi’s distance. It reminded him of the stories his mother used to tell him as a child, of the world’s where the sun always shone and the laughter of the magical inhabitants rang through the crowded streets. The sun radiated over the city basking it in a golden glow. Akashi felt himself being drawn towards it; he gave into his instincts and walked towards the city. He crossed over a stone bridge until he came to a stop at a large Kasuga Torii panted red and decorated in golden swirling clouds. He was about to step through the gateway when a voice called out. 

“Akashi Seijuro, yes?” asked a strong feminine tone. 

Akashi turned around his eyes narrowing in an almost threatening manner. His gaze landed upon a shorter woman with chin length brown hair, her fringe pinned back two silver pins. She wore a traditional Japanese outfit consisting of a white Keikogi with waist length sleeves and a burnt orange Hakama, fastened by a black obi. He noticed she had wide brown eyes that would be cute if it wasn’t for the annoyed look she held in them. Akashi raised a brow in her direction.

“Who’s asking?” he said in an emotionless tone.

“Riko Aida, the one who summoned you.” She said in a strong voice.

Akashi made a ‘tch’ noise and turned to face her with annoyance written across his features, he was entirely displeased with the idea of being summoned like some lowly mutt. 

“You have thirty seconds to explain yourself.” He said in a calm yet dangerous voice.

She cocked a brow, “I really hope the rest of you are not this much of an annoyance.” She bit out. 

Akashi raised his own brow in question, “Friends…? 

She smirked, “Midorima Shintarou, Kise Ryouta, Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kuroko Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga.” She said with that infuriating smirk.

Akashi was a little shocked at the fact that this woman whom he had never met before knew exactly who he was as well as knowing the names of the rest of the Generation of Miracles and Kagami. His lips pressed together in a thin line and he stood a little taller and addressed her again.

“You still have not explained yourself.” He said in a business like tone.

“And nor will I at this present time.” she said in a way that left no room for argument.

Akashi was about the open his mouth and do just the opposite but he decided against it, he didn’t exactly know where he was and for all he knew this woman could be a witch or even a demon. He looked her up and down, she looked ordinary but until he was sure he wouldn’t push anything. The idea seemed absurd in his head but since he did just cross into a different world anything seemed possible now. 

Riko smirked to herself after Akashi had made no further comment and she looked him up and down before making some calculations, even with his shirt on she could see he was indeed very powerful but she was still yet to be convinced that this man was the leader of the prodigies that would save their world from falling into ruin. 

“This way.” She said briskly and walked through the gateway to the city and proceeding down one of the many streets. 

Akashi’s eyes narrowed and he tsked again before catching up to the bossy woman and walking beside her. He didn’t bother asking where they were going, he just opted to follow her and continue admiring his surroundings. They passed by many houses and under archways but what interested Akashi more was the people they passed on the streets. Most of them looked normal but a few of them he could tell were different, he noticed some minor features on a few which suggested they weren’t entirely human: pointed ears, fangs, oddly shaped and coloured iris’. Some of the more obvious features were tufts of fur, tails, animal ears, and horns. His eyebrows were almost hidden under his hairline as he examined them; curious as to what species the different beings were. All of them seemed to be dressed in either a Kimono, Hakama, Yukata or Furisode. Akashi guessed that even though there were traces of western architecture the culture was undoubtedly Japanese. After about ten minutes of walking Akashi noticed that the distance between buildings became further as they exited the central part of the city. More time passed and they were walking through a bamboo grove. The tall stalks quickly gave way into an open clearing where Riko promptly ceased walking. Akashi stopped also, wondering as to why the sudden halt but when he looked over she was staring at him in a way that almost made him want to squirm. He squashed down any thought of withering under her gaze and stood with his shoulders back and a relaxed yet dangerous glare, almost daring her to say something against him. After the intense staring match she looked away and coughed quietly before opening her mouth.

“You were the captain of the Generation of Miracles, correct?” she asked.

“I’m not going to answer your questions until you answer mine.” He said smoothly.

Riko gritted her teeth in annoyance, “Then you’ll just have to wait!” She snapped.

Akashi was quiet, but even an idiot could tell he was fuming. He had folded his arms over his chest and he drummed his fingers on his other arm. He gritted his teeth and was about to unleash his rage upon the poor woman but a series of voices interrupted his ill-tempered assault. 

“Oi Bakagami! Watch where the hell you’re walking!”

“Well move! Ahomine you’re walking right in front of me!”

Akashi listened as two simultaneous sounds of agony were made and guessed that Kuroko had jabbed them between the ribs again. Even before he could spot his friends in the grove he could hear Kise’s loud voice. 

“Uwahhh~ isn’t this place beautiful Mido-chin?” 

“The fortunes did not predict this occurrence today.” Came a sour reply 

Heavy footsteps and the sounds of munching also indicated that Murasakibara had made it as well. Akashi waited there silently, with a smile that definitely wasn’t trying to make its way onto his face. Soon enough the rest of the Rainbow heads made their way out of the bamboo grove and stopped dead when they spotted Akashi and Riko, (but mostly Akashi). Kuroko nodded in a greeting.

“Akashi-Kun,”

“Tetsu.” Akashi nodded in reply.

“Now that we’re all here…” Riko began but before she could continue a series of voices interrupted her demanding explanations and shooting questions.

“WHERE THE HELL ARE WE? WHY DID WE ALL GET SUMMONED!? WHO WAS THE TALL GUY WHO ORDERED US TO COME HERE?? WHAT’S AKASHI DOING HERE!! HOW DO FLOATING ISLANDS EVEN WORK!?!!?” 

Riko looked like she was about to blow a fuse right there and Akashi chose to intervene. He raised a hand in a way that commanded silence and obediently the rest of them fell quiet. Riko looked appreciative in the least and she sighed.

“Thank you Akashi-Kun, now let’s start this again.” She said in a commanding tone while placing her hands on her hips.

“The tall man’s name is Kiyoshi Teppei” she groaned annoyed as to why he didn’t accompany them all the way here and in turn help her set her plans into motion, “He was supposed to bring you here but I guess he just pointed you in the right direction, correct”

There was a nod from each of them minus Akashi and Riko sighed, “Baka.” She muttered quietly and then looked up at them again. 

“What I’m about to tell you is why you were summoned here.” She said with a raised brow making sure they were paying attention. “We are on the brink of war, our opponents being the Itzal Knights from beyond the rift. Before any of you can ask.” She said with a dangerous gleam in her eye, “I know you are all regular working men in your world and have no experience on any battle field. Adding the fact that you probably wouldn’t want to give up your life for a world that you do not live in… But! It has been the legend that a group known as the generation of miracles would be able to save us from the oncoming darkness.” She finished and looked at them all.  
Riko was smart and she knew a leader when she saw one. All she had to do was convince Akashi to help them and the rest of the boys would follow obediently, thankfully she already had a plan in motion to help her convince Akashi to fight for them since he was the prophesised red and gold emperor. 

All of them stared at her incredulously and she raised a brow, “Please understand that even with the information I have just told you there is no obligation for you to stay, I would understand.” 

Aomine turned on his heel but before he could start walking Kise grabbed him by the back of his collar and prevented him from moving anywhere. The blunette sighed and turned back to face Riko while shoving his hands in his pockets. Midorima pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

“And how exactly would you ask us to fight?” He asked with a calculating tone. 

“I would train you with the weapon best suited for you, you would also learn hand to hand combat skills and you won’t be on your own.” She said with a small smirk on her face.

He nodded but then opened his mouth, “When you say that we wouldn’t fight on our own does that indicate that we are fighting with someone other than our teammates?” 

She was pleased with his observation skills to say the least, “eh, more like a something.” 

At this statement Akashi raised a brow, “Why again would we put our life on the line? He wanted to know before she got any further.

“Ahh I was wondering when that would be asked.” She said knowingly.

The rest of them nodded in agreement with Akashi and Riko folded her arms over her chest. “Since you grew up in an alternate world and you were not born here the rules are different for you. If you do die here yes it will be painful but you will return to your world at the exact time and location at which you left.” Her face grew more serious “I would never ask innocent and untrained individuals such as yourselves to help but… I want to save my people.” 

“And if we chose to leave on our own?” Aomine’s voice ran out through the silence 

“You would return to the exact time and place that you left from in your world.” she said with a nod.

“Well it seems less boring then the reality we left behind.” Kagami shrugged

Kuroko nodded then looked up at her, “You mentioned before that we wouldn’t fight alone?” 

She smiled brightly and clapped her hands together, “After all you have seen this morning I guess it wouldn’t phase you that much to meet your dragons?” 

There was a collective cry of “EEEEHHHH!!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> making his appearance in the next chapter...  
> dun dun DUN! Kouki!!!!! yeyyyy
> 
> ITZAL: Basque name meaning "shadow."
> 
> I'll see you then~


	3. You Will Be Mine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The miracles are introduced to their dragons and a certain brunette steals the emperor's heart~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing  
> appreciate all comments/kudo's  
> please enjoy :D

CH 3 

“You're kidding right?” Aomine blurted with a shocked expression 

“Do I look like I have that time to waste?” Riko said seriously 

The others seemed to recover from their shock pretty quickly and soon enough all eyes were on her. Riko's face was serious but she was having an internal crisis. She knew now was her chance to win over the boys but her whisperer wasn't here to help her. If one of the dragons got agitated it could be a serious problem for them all. She took a deep breath and calmed herself before looking up to them. 

“I'm going to call them now, it is very important that you show no signs of fear or start yelling,” she said with a warning glare then added, “Although praise would just stroke their massive ego's.” she chuckled.

Once she had got another round of nods in confirmation she raised a silver whistle to her lips, more of the runes etched into it. She took another breath and blew a long melodic note. There was silence and the boys looked up in anticipation. Riko walked over to them so the beasts would have a decent space to land in. 

Akashi folded his arms over his chest, not sure what to expect and yet a strange sensation of excitement drummed in his chest. His eyes narrowed into slits as heard an almighty roar and the sound of loud wing beats. A shadow was cast over them all and the wind speed rose until it threatened to drag them off their feet. They shielded their faces using their arms until there was a snort and the wind died off as fast as it had risen. All eyes looked up and there were quiet gasps.  
The dragon stood tall and proud, at least triple the height of Aomine. It had a very solid build with coiled muscle easily visible every time it shifted. It's skin was almost black although it's scales were a deep sea blue. Long white razor sharp claws adorned all four paws; small white pointed teeth were visible since it's mouth was slightly open. Deep blue eyes were narrowed into slits and steam poured from it's nostrils as it looked over them all. It's wings were located behind it's front shoulder blades. The wingspan for one of them was at least 12 meters and the tip of each bone was armed with a curved spike. A shovel blade adorned it's tail and three sets of straight black pointed horns protruded from behind the dragon's jaw line. The beast was intimidating and clearly volatile if rubbed the wrong way. 

There was silence among the Generation of miracles as Riko took a few steps towards the dragon. She raised a hand, her palm facing forwards; the dragon snorted again, steam surrounding Riko. A moment of worry passed for her well being but the beast calmed and lowered its massive head until her fingers brushed along its long snout. She smiled and patted it gently before turning. 

“Aomine Daiki.” she said rather loudly

The bluenette jumped slightly and Kise muffled a laugh. He growled and looked back at Riko.

“This is your dragon.” she said very clearly 

Aomine nodded numbly but didn't move from his spot, still trying to process things as the dragon looked at it's new rider, amusement dancing in its eyes. Riko nodded and moved away from the dragon before addressing them all.

“Your dragons will share a lot with you, especially their personality!” she said and raised a brow “In this case, the big boy here” she smirked and gestured to the dragon “Believes that no-one can beat him but him.” she finished and looked over at Aomine.

The tan boy's jaw was slack and he pointed at her “H-how do you know that!?” he said trying not to let the shock creep into his voice. 

Much to his annoyance Kagami snickered anyway. Riko smiled a cheshire grin, “I have my ways.” she said before moving on, “You will stay put until all of the dragons have arrived...” she trailed off. 

While she was finishing her words the quickly approaching sounds of wing beats rang across the skies. Seconds later a heavy thud sounded and signalled the arrival of the second dragon. 

They were almost blinded as the sun's rays bounced off shiny golden scales. This one was of a smaller build but only a little shorter than Aomine's dragon. It's wings were also located behind it's shoulders but rather than being made up of the strong skin and bone they were comprised of long golden and white feathers, structured like bird's wings. Longish white fur started at the point on it's head and ran all the way down the dragon's back and along it's tail which was adorned with a curved hook like spike. On each of it's slim paws were short curved claws with reversed razor sharp points. Once the beast had a hold of something it wasn't letting go. Longer curved teeth protruded from it's upper lip on either side of the slim snout. And rather than horns this dragon had long thin ears that almost resembled a rabbit's. 

Kise practically bounced around like a puppy as he stared into the dragons equally mesmerising golden eyes with a look of awe on his face. “He's mine isn't he! Please say he's mine?!” 

Riko nodded and the golden haired boy smiled brighter than the sun itself; the dragon visibly preened under the praise given by it's rider. There was a few seconds silence before Kise's dragon stood again and shifted so it was sitting right next to Aomine's dragon, their scaly shoulders pressed against eachother. To the group's surprise Aomine's dragon snorted but didn't move away, on the contrary it turned it's head and nuzzled the golden dragon in an affectionate way. 

Sputtered laughter erupted from the group as the dragons openly admitted the relationship that Aomine had desperately tried to hide from them. It was clearly obvious the two boys had something going on between them. Kise was smiling proudly but also laughing and Aomine was as red as a tomato, his jaw hanging open. 

“They seem to have many things in common indeed.” Kuroko said with a wobbly smirk in the attempt to not laugh any more. 

Riko half composed herself before moving on to a new spot where a few moments later another heavily built dragon landed with a thud and had the height to match the blue dragon. This dragon clearly belonged to Kagami as blood red scales started out along it's spine whereas along it's legs, tail and neck gradually became a lighter shade of red similar to the ace's hair. The dragon had a set of large thick black horns that resembled those of a bull and spines that ran down it's spine until finishing at the tip of it's tail which did not have anything on it. Long pointed claws were on all four large paws and it had large wings which were made of the scaly skin and bone. The more amusing thing was that it also had a shape along the ridge of it's eyes that resembled Kagami's eye brows. 

Kagami's face was priceless as Midorima pushed up his glassed with the tips of his fingers, “Fate has it that these two must be partners.” he said in an even tone but was clearly having a jab at the eyebrows. 

Kagami was about to turn on the carrot top when a small rumble sounded from the beasts; although it was too quiet for the red dragon. They all turned their attention back towards the dragons and there was a split second of silence before they reeled back in shock. 

Between the red dragon's front legs was a small light blue scaled dragon that had gone unnoticed by all of them minus Kuroko as they were focused on the presence of the larger dragon. The small dragon was probably double Kuroko's height and was very plain looking. Short white fur ran from it's head to tail tip. It was very lightly built but there were traces of muscle evident. No teeth were visible but rather than four legs this dragon had six. The extra set were way thinner than it's front legs and were currently folded up against its sides so they were hardly noticeable. It's front and back legs were shaped like a dog's with small sharp claws but the extra set only had three long talons. The most obvious yet slightly creepy feature was the wide blue eyed blank stare that it held. 

“I think we all know that dragon belongs to Tetsu.” Murasakibara commented with a nod. 

“Yeah it's hella short!” Aomine snickered 

There was a dis-pleasured rumble as the red dragon was clearly agitated by the remark. It bared its teeth and hissed before moving slightly in front of Kuroko's dragon in a protective way. The smaller dragon put its front paws on the massive red ones which seemed to calm the red dragon considerably. All eyes turned towards the ace who wore a shocked expression, his skin quickly becoming as red as his hair. He promptly tuned away and beside him Kuroko wore a matching poker face that rivalled the one his dragon was wearing. 

“They seem to have many things in common indeed.” Aomine smirked as he parroted Kuroko's previous statement. 

“Listen here Ahomine...” Kagami started off as he faced the tan skinned boy but before he got anywhere Riko clapped her hands again. During the exchanges between them they had failed to notice the arrival of the next two dragons. 

The purple scaled dragon slowly lumbered it's way over to them and sat next to Riko with a heavy thud. This dragon was a little taller than Kagami's dragon but was definitely more filled out. A thick layer of muscle obvious even without it moving. Strangely this dragon had no claws or wings but its paws were huge and they held the strength to crush almost anything. Long messy dark purple fur ran along its neck and back towards the tail which ended in a hammer like object. Long teeth protruded from both top and bottom jaws. Curled horns similar to ram's adorned the sides of it's head and a purple dead eyed stare watched over them all. 

Murasakibara nodded with a grunt that sounded pleased but it was a bit difficult to tell with him. 

Next to the purple dragon was a thinner green dragon with a body shape and height that resembled Kise's dragon; although it sat on its haunches. Short black spikes ran along the length of its spine and black claws adorned it's back feet. Rather than front legs the dragon had scaled wings with a long hooked talon on each one. It's wings also seemed to serve as its front legs. No teeth were visible at the present time but it had short pointed teeth, good for inflicting serious damage. It's head shape resembled that of a lizard and along it's jawline were small black spikes. It watched Riko with narrowed green eyes. The ironic feature was that the dragon wore today's lucky item around its neck. 

After noticing the lucky item there were a series of eye rolls and Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose again with a small smirk on his face. “Fate looks upon me.” he said in a satisfied manner and the dragon turned its head to look at him. 

The Miracles fell quiet as they noticed all of the dragons promptly sat down and had their heads bowed. Shivers ran down Riko's spine as she stood back from the dragons. Akashi was about to demand her to explain what was happening when a booming roar filled the air. The group clapped their hands over their ears as the last dragon landed in front of where the other beasts had fallen silent. Riko prayed that the whisperer would hurry. 

The last dragon was the scariest thing the group had laid eyes upon. It's eyes drilled into them, the iris' were blood red with flecks of gold in them; they were narrowed into slits similar to Akashi when he was in a foul mood. The beast had an air to it that was dominating and it clearly had the most presence to it even though it was smaller than every dragon minus Kuroko's. It's underbelly, snout and the inside of its legs were made up of golden scales whilst the rest of the scales were a bright red that shimmered in the sunlight. It was well built but not nearly as muscled as Aomine's dragon. Curved golden spikes ran down the length of its spine and thick golden claws adorned all four paws. It's tail ended in a sword like point and the beast's wings were splayed so wide that it appeared to block out the sun. Similar to Kise's the dragons wings was comprised of golden feathers with red tips that strangely looked very sharp. The dragon had ears that looked like a lion's and three sets of straight horns that curved upwards near the end.  
Akashi's eyes narrowed, he walked forwards towards the beast and stopped a few mere meters in front of it. He folded his arms behind his back and circled the beast once, examining the creature properly before stopping in front of it again. 

“You will submit to me beast.” he said simply and glared the dragon right in the eye. 

Riko and the others held their breath as anger clouded in the dragon's eyes. A venomous snarl erupted from it as its lips curled back to reveal dozens of razor sharp teeth. It slammed a paw down next to Akashi and roared with a force that pushed the red head backwards but he managed to stay on his feet. Riko trembled as she feared the dragon would destroy Akashi right there and then. A cold tendril curled itself in Akashi's gut as he realised his mistake, if someone declared that he would submit to them he would want to destroy them too. The roaring continued and Akashi covered his ears, his teeth gritted. No-one heard the noise of hoof beats as a figure rode into the clearing. Riko noticed his arrival and wanted to cry in relief, she ran over and grabbed the reins from him and the boy sprinted over and jumped between the dragon and Akashi; his arms splayed wide. There was a small thud and the roaring died down to irritated snarling. Akashi looked up and his eyes widened when he noticed the figure that now stood in front of him. 

Silky chocolate brown hair and the ends of the beautifully patterned kimono fluttered in the breeze. Akashi looked at the boy with an expression that resembled awe. The white and bronze kimono hugged the lean figure in all the right places showing off the beautiful body in front of the redhead. The kimono was sleeveless with a high neck. The base colour was white with bronze swirls and patterns spiralling along the bottom half of the outfit. Thick bronze arm bands were clasped around his upper forearms, the white material attached to the bands was slightly transparent and it fell to just past his elbow although the back of the sleeves reached passed his wrists. The tan skin shown along his arms looked supple yet soft, Akashi itched reach over and touch but he refrained himself. Even with the brunette's back to Akashi the point guard could feel his heart rate increase and a possessive voice within him screamed, “Mine!”

The growling stretched on until the brunette whispered something in a foreign language and dropped to his knees a little clumsily. The dragon went silent and lowered it's head until it was inches from the boy's face. Slowly and carefully the boy tilted his head to the side which revealed more of his long elegant neck. A gold and brown tattoo curled up the left side of his neck and finished just behind his ear, although the rest of the design was hidden under the neck of his kimono. Akashi's eye brows shot up when he realised it was a display of submission. The Dragon went silent and sniffed the boy before making a noise that suggested the beast was expecting something from the brunette. Akashi watched closely, ready to snatch the beautiful male away from the dragon if it tried to hurt him. The brunette trembled before pressing his fingertips to his own lips and he whispered a few words in his native tongue. He sat up a bit and pressed them against the tip of the dragon's nose. The dragon visibly relaxed and shifted so it was sitting on it's back haunches; the earlier malice having completely evaporated. 

Riko exhaled loudly in relief and the other miracles were still silent, struck with various emotions as they were still reeling in shock from the display they had just witnessed. They were glad Akashi wasn't dead but curiosity arose as they wondered who the boy was that had managed to calm the dragon as volatile as Akashi himself. The brunette patted the dragon softly before pulling his hand back and turning to face Akashi with traces of fear written across his features.

Furihata had been terrified when Riko had told him that he would be coming to help with the emperor dragon. He was scared of dragons in general but this one was the icing on the cake. From the beginning he had known about his mentor's idea to gather the Generation of Miracles in the hope that they would aid them in the oncoming war. He had studied each of the boys that had arrived in their world and had watched footage of them playing basketball to help him understand their miraculous talents even further. He had been amazed and awed when watching each different style of play but when he had come to study Akashi he realised why those around him called him an emperor. His heart had clenched a little bit, the redhead was dangerous yet gorgeous: perfect skin, hair eyes, lips and oh there was so much more he couldn't begin to describe. Furihata had to mentally scold himself to stop it because he was a mere whisperer and their prophesied saviour was out of his league. The thought also crossed his mind that he wouldn't want to be stabbed by a pair of scissors.

Yet here he was, a mere whisperer standing in front of the most dangerous dragon in their entire world. He trembled in absolute fear but held his arms wide, he needed Akashi to remain breathing because in the long run he was expendable while the boy he shielded was not. He stared into the beast's eyes and his heart drummed in his chest like a hummingbird pumped full of adrenalin. He told the dragon to forgive Akashi's careless mistake in his tongue and dropped to his knees; nearly falling flat on his face. He exhaled shakily when the beast seemed to calm down but the growling had kept the brunette on edge. He proceeded to bare his neck to the dragon in the way an omega submitted to an alpha. The dragon had lowered its head towards the trembling wreck, it's hot breath washing over the boy. Furihata put all of his will into staying put as the dragon sniffed him and silence followed he slowly looked up and when their eyes met the dragon had made an expectant noise. A small wobbly smile crossed his lips as he pressed his fingers to his lips and whispered calming words and praise. He slowly reached over and pressed the tips of his fingers to the dragon's nose. His calming whispers were heard as the dragon settled onto it's haunches. He sighed shakily and took a moment to make sure he would stand without collapsing before he got to his feet and turned to face the other potential danger. 

“A-are y-you ok-kay?” he stuttered still trying to reassure himself that he wasn't going to get eaten by the beast he now had his back to. 

Akashi stared at the boy who now faced him and his will was set in stone, whatever it took he would have this beautiful boy in his arms and his arms alone. His other personality also agreed with this sentiment and that in itself was a rarity. He stared into the boy's small warm brown irises that made his eyes look a lot wider than they actually were. His eyes were framed by long thick dark lashes that fluttered against his cheeks whenever he blinked. He had high cheekbones, a small button nose and a defined jawline that Akashi wanted to run his lips along. A light flush dusted the brunette's cheeks and crawled down his elegant neck. His voice was like music to Akashi's ears, soft and relaxing. Neat eyebrows were pulled together as a look of concern was written on the smaller male's features; that's when Akashi realised he hadn't responded to the brunette's question.

“I'm fine,” he said then added “Thank you.” As an afterthought. He mentally scolded himself as he realised how rude his tone was considering the other male seemed to shrink back a little. 

Riko ran over and hugged Furihata tightly. The boy seemed a little shocked before he nervously smiled and patted her back a little awkwardly. After a minute or so she stood back but held him at arms length.

“Thank you Furihata-chan.” she said in utter relief.

“A-Ah n-no p-problem!” he managed with a weak smile still recovering from the fear that had lodged itself in his chest. 

“Thank the heavens you actually showed up unlike that other baka.” she spat 

He laughed nervously, “S-sorry I was late, I hadn't saddled Hoshimi-chan properly so he was in pain whenever he moved. I had to stop and re-saddle him.” the brunette finished with an easy laugh. 

The woman clicked her tongue in good nature having figured that it had something to do with Furihata's clumsiness. 

That laugh sent pleasured shivers down Akashi's spine and his eyes widened as the boy settled, a calm peaceful look replaced the fear on his face making him look even more beautiful. He was fuming that the girl had dared touch what he believed was his and he clenched his fists, knuckles turning white. 

Kuroko seemed to pick up on Akashi's rage as it quickly built and knew that an intervention was needed. He walked towards them and stood next to the redhead. 

“Would you please introduce us Riko-san.” He said in a composed manner.

Akashi glared at the shadow but didn't comment.

Furihata was a little shocked at his own rudeness and before Riko could say anything he bowed in their direction and willed his voice not to tremble.

“Apologies, m-my name is F-furihata Kouki!” He said rather loudly, pleased he hadn't stuttered too much. 

Akashi almost purred as he watched the brunette; his rage forgotten, 'Furihata Kouhi, you will be mine.' he thought to himself with no small amount of possessivenesses.


	4. Mutual Feelings?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are assigned to their dorms and receive their new training regimen but when night falls the Emperor has troubles sleeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing!  
> This chapter may be a little rough as I lost the motivation for it on more than one occasion but I finished it! and have no intention of abandoning it :D Updates are probably going to be irregular too.

CH 4  
Riko turned back towards the miracles and put her hands on her hips, “let's not pull another stunt like that.” she sighed.

Akashi glared but didn't make comment, he returned his sights to the brunette who had started trembling under his gaze. Without looking back towards Riko he spoke,

“I need a solid reason before we proceed any further with this so called training.” he said coldly.

Riko wanted to grin in victory, this was her chance. She kept her features calm and composed as she looked over at Furihata. 

“Furihata-san care to provide Akashi-san with the solid reasoning which he desires?”

Furihata almost choked at the sudden surprise of being put on the spot like that. He shook more and nervously clenched his fingers, his lips parted as he had difficulty stringing the correct letters together to form an appropriate answer.

“T-those I-in this world of p-pure b-blood can n-not leave. Y-you, t-the generation of m-miracles c-can escape if the world c-collapses but individuals s-such as myself w-will p-perish if w-we are d-defeated.” He stuttered in cold fear of both Akashi and the imminent threat of death. 

Furihata haunched over slightly and had his eyes squeezed shut willing himself to stop trembling. Akashi's eyes widened as he listened to the brunette, emotions of anger and protectiveness welling up inside of him. If he didn't fight the beautiful brunette would die along with his world and **no-one** would take what was his. The redhead turned towards the other rainbow heads with a look of dangerous determination written across his features. 

“We will fight.” he said in a composed manner that left no room for an objection. 

The others didn't even bother to argue as they all recognised the look on their leader's face. After all, they all knew his words were absolute. 

Riko could have cried, but she settled for a wide smile instead. “There is a lot to explain before you settle down for the night so pay attention!” she said.

All eyes were on her and she grinned, “I'll explain this in terms you understand, Furihata here is a whisperer. We have a few whisperers among our ranks. In basketball whisperers are the equivalent to a bench warmer. They can fight to a certain extent but their talents lie in their words. When a whisperer speaks to you using their magic it can alter your emotional state whether it is giving you strength or calming you from a rage. They are very useful but often very shy, aren't you Furihata.” she said with a knowing tone. 

The brunette squeaked in embarrassment and Akashi resisted the urge to purr at the cute noise. Riko continued on with her explanation. 

“We also have seekers which would be your team mates that are not a part of the generation of miracles. They are middle class fighters which have their own individual talents, beneficial in almost any situation. They are land based and ride on wolf back, I'll introduce you to some of them later.” she said to them before continuing on. “Lastly the lot of you who stand before me are known as dragon riders. In your world this title is recognised as the generation of miracles, whom posses extraordinary talent. Your dragons have been around for thousands of years and were only brought together by your arrival. You are warriors of the skies and our last chance of survival. There are only a few other dragon riders left in this realm but they are no match for the Itzal knights.” she finished and glared at them all. “I'll explain more to you idiots during training.” she huffed and turned to Furihata, “Saddle Hoshimi and lead the dragons to the west valley, get them prepared for tomorrow's training.”

Furihata nodded and walked past Akashi. The taller boy's eyes followed the brunette until they landed on what he presumed was Hoshimi.

As it turned out Hoshimi was a breathtakingly beautiful stag. He was most likely a little bigger than a fully grown stallion. long snow white fur covered most of its body except for its chest where bronze fur stood out against the whiteness, its hooves were also of a bronze colour. The beast's antlers were much wider than those of a regular stag and they branched off in many directions. Akashi noticed little ornaments hung from different parts of it's antlers: precious stones and charms that he presumed had a magical purpose of sorts. Dark brown leather straps crossed over it's chest and were fasted around it's underbelly. Reins similar to those a horse wore were fastened around Hoshimi's face. A saddle of the same colouring with bronze stirrups were also attached to the stag's back. 

With a practised grace Furihata swung himself up into the saddle and grabbed the reins. He looped them around his hands so he had a better grip and used his knees to nudge the stag forwards. Hoshimi complied to his rider's orders and started off in a slow canter. Akashi watched as the brunette easily guided Hoshimi over towards the dragons.  
Furihata took a deep breath and approached the emperor dragon. He stopped a couple of meters from it and bowed his head in a sign of respect. The gold and crimson looked at him for a few moments before making a clicking noise in the back of its throat and rising to it's feet. The other dragons also rose from their seated positions.

Furihata smiled softly up at the dragon and patted it's scaly leg, the dragon narrowed it's eyes before seeming to relax a little. It made a noise that was somewhere between a croon and a grunt. Furihata clicked his tongue and flicked Hoshimi's reins. The stag snorted and took off in a fast gallop, vanishing back through the bamboo grove and into the surrounding woods. Akashi's dragon spread its wide wings and took to the skies, the other dragons with flight capabilities followed suit and the remaining two flightless dragons ran after Furihata. 

They all watched them go, after all of the beasts had vanished from sight Akashi whirled on Riko, invading her personal space. She looked a little shocked and leaned back slightly. 

Akashi narrowed his eyes and spoke low enough so the others couldn't hear him. 

“I demand to know when I'll see him again.” he said in a deadly serious tone. 

Sweat ran down the back of her neck, “eh… tomorrow at training or maybe tonight?” she said quietly, not exactly sure herself.

The redhead seemed satisfied and moved away from her, his heart rate increasing at the thought of seeing the brunette again. He faced the other miracles and folded his arms behind his back. 

“Tomorrow we will begin training, do you understand?” he said in almost a sickly sweet voice.

There was a single “Hai!” from them all and Akashi smirked.

Riko led the boys through the woods and towards a clearing where a traditional Japanese building lined the edge of the vast clearing. The building was long and resembled a dormitory of sorts. A hot springs was fenced in behind the structure and a patio ran around the building's perimeter. Riko walked around and showed the boys to their rooms.  
Akashi slid the door behind him and looked around the large room. Wide windows overlooked the clearing and let the evening light pour into the room, casting a golden glow over everything. There was a small kitchen in the left half of the room and a door on the other side of the room which led to a small bathroom. A futon was in the corner as well as a traditional kotatsu. A few cupboards were spaced around the room but it was mostly bare. Neatly folded on the futon was a crimson and black Hakma, fastened by a gold obi. Akashi examined it for a moment before putting it back and heading for a shower. Once he was dry and feeling refreshed he pulled the garment on and inspected himself in the mirror, he concluded it was a welcome change to his business suit. He stilled when there was a soft knock on his door.  
He silently made his way over to the door and slid it open. He stared into warm brown eyes and a smile spread over his face.

“Hello Kouki.” he practically purred.

The brunette was a little shocked that Akashi-sama was using his first name when they hardly knew each other but he didn't dare to object. He tensed up slightly before bowing shakily.

“P-please al-low me to escort you to the g-gathering hall.” he said as clearly as he could under the pressure. 

Akashi reached out this time and let his fingers brush over Furihata's hair. It was as soft as he imagined. There was a squeak and Furihata jumped backwards a little, he diverted his eyes away from Akashi, a dark blush staining his skin. He proceeded to stammer an apology and quickly walked away, presumably in the direction of the gathering hall. Akashi frowned a little at the brunette's shyness but it didn't matter, he would win over his precious Kouki even if it took some time. 

He caught up to Furihata and walked beside him, neither of them spoke. All too quickly they stood at the sliding door that led to the large room. Furihata slid the door open and bowed in his direction again before vanishing back down from where he had come. Akashi watched him go, his brows furrowing slightly. He pushed his disappointment aside and walked into the room where Riko and the others were waiting for him. Without saying a word of greeting he gracefully sat down on the tatami with his legs folded neatly beneath him. Midorima, Kise and Kuroko were seated in similar positions while the other three were sprawled out rather intelligently. Each of them wore the same style hakama with their individual colour schemes. 

Akashi turned to Riko and raised a brow. She glared back at him for a moment before moving over to a large board mounted on the wall. She pulled a pen from her sleeve and began to write up their training regiment, explaining it as she wrote. The first couple of weeks would focus on muscle regeneration, as they had obviously lost some of their strength in the time after they had graduated from high school and no longer played serious basketball which was accompanied by the endless hours of rigorous training. The following months after initial training consisted of learning the skills of their assigned weapons as well as working with their dragons. The whole regimen only covered about three months in total. 

Akashi wondered why it was short but as he watched Riko grit her teeth or how her knuckles turned white when she gripped the pen; he understood that three months was all the time they had left before the Itzal knights would make their appearance. Further discussions between the miracles and Riko dragged long on into the night.  
When they were finally dismissed for the night a scowl had settled over Akashi's features and the tiredness caused him to be grumpier than usual. He bid the others goodnight in a curt manner and exited the room. He ran a hand down his face and walked back to his room. After a few minutes of rummaging through the drawers in his room he managed to find a soft plain white cotton T-shirt and he undressed down to his boxers before pulling the shirt over his head. He crawled into his futon and closed his eyes.  
It had felt like hours passed and yet he still restlessly tossed and turned, growling in his semi-conscious state. He could feel himself falling asleep but before he could slip away he seemed to jolt awake again. It was infuriating to say the least, in his angered and partially-awake state he failed to hear the sounds of quiet footsteps and the sound of his door sliding open. 

Furihata had returned to the building to speak with Riko but as he passed the boy's dormitories he heard the sounds of anger and frustration, quiet but still audible. He paused and turned his head, walking back a few steps he stopped in front of Akashi's door; which he recognised from earlier. He was about to walk away again when the boy on the other side made more restless noises that began to sound more like pain and frustration as the minutes passed. His heart clenched at the sounds of distress coming from the other. He silently slid open the door and padded towards the redhead. He briefly wondered if he would suffer Akashi's wrath… or worse if the other caught him sneaking into his room but the brunette pushed his fear aside. He knew he needed to do something. He kneeled next to Akashi as quietly as possible. The redhead's eyelids fluttered very briefly and it took all of Furihata's willpower not to scream in fear. He quietly exhaled when the other closed his eyes again, not seeming to notice his presence. He watched for a minute as Akashi seemed to settle, he almost appeared to be asleep before his shoulders tensed and he would make another distressed noise. 

Furihata leaned forwards and pressed his finger tips to his lips. In his tongue quietly murmured _'sleep now and relax.'_ he managed to still his shaking hand and gently pressed his fingertips to Akashi's temple. A calm wave rolled over Akashi and a soft sigh escaped the redhead's lips as they parted. He visibly relaxed, his bones melting as sleep overtook him. Furihata was now assured that Akashi was definitely asleep and he smiled gently in a way that could melt a heart of ice. A strange confidence overtook him as he softly ran the tips of his fingers down the sleeping emperor's cheek, his pale skin looked beautiful underneath the moonlight, like fragile porcelain. Furihata snatched his hand back and silently scolded himself. He couldn't afford to form any emotional attachments with the man in front of him no matter how quickly his feelings for Akashi were forming. He exhaled silently and looked Akashi over once again as a final check that he slept peacefully before rising to his feet. He padded out of the room and slid the door shut behind him.

Once he was in the corridor he had to force himself not to look back as he went to find Riko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated!


	5. The Tanzanite River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The redhead goes to seek out his special brunette :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait ^^' but it's a long chapter!   
> please enjoy, I did look over and edit this but there still may be mistakes XD   
> knb belongs to its respectful owners

CH 5   
Sunlight flooded the room and Akashi sleepily blinked a few times, adjusting to the piercing light that was stabbing him in the eyes. He grumbled something to himself before rolling onto his side, facing away from the window. He blinked again after noticing the small package that was carefully wrapped in a bronze coloured cloth. His eyes narrowed in curiosity and he gingerly picked it up and turned it over in his hands. There was no words on it, no clue as to who had left it here. He raised a brow mentally scolding himself as to why he didn't even notice anyone come in the room, he was usually a very light sleeper. He laid on his back again, last night he remembered being so frustrated that he couldn't sleep it almost felt painful. He had been laying there in his semi conscious state when suddenly he felt that calmness wash over him; he had felt safe and secure like when his mother used to hold him close and sing to him until he fell asleep. He smiled at the memories and pulled the blanket up around his neck, returning his attention to the small parcel in his hands. He slowly and carefully unwrapped it. His eyes widened and he sucked in a breath. It was beautiful. He laid the bracelet in the palm of his hand, it was made up of three bands of black leather tied together with one of them being plaited. The design work of the clasp was what caught Akashi's attention. On one end was a small bronze Shiba puppy head and front paws, the incredible amount of detail made it look like it could start yipping at him any second. The puppy had wide eyes and its tongue lolling out of its mouth in a playful expression. He looked closer and noticed the legs bent in half. He examined the other end of the clasp and it was a circular piece of deep red crystal with the middle cut out resembling a miniature ring. Flecks of gold glimmered wherever the sun bounced off it. The redhead was amazed as he brought both ends together and folded the puppy's legs around the ring. There was a small _'snick'_ and he tried pulling the opposite ends but the clasp didn't give way under the strain. He opened it again before smiling and fastening it around his right wrist. The crystal laid against the underside of his wrist, he felt a wave of calmness and warmth roll over him, it was no where as near as strong as what he had felt last night but it was still pleasant. 

A gentle smile wove its way onto his face as he looked at the bracelet on his wrist but his thoughts wandered towards a certain brunette. He abruptly sat up, the blanket pooling around his waist. _'Did Furihata give this to him?'_ His heart pounded in his chest as he thought of the possibilities, maybe it wasn't Furihata's doing but some instinct told him that it was the adorable brunette. He couldn't think of a reason for anyone else to give him something like this. Then again he couldn't think of any reason for the brunette to give it to him either, his brows furrowed at the puzzle that was now fastened around his wrist. The redhead sighed and pulled on the hakama again, he fastened the obi securely and noticed the sleeves of his attire only just covered the bracelet when his arms were at his sides. He turned and looked at himself over in the mirror. The flawless face in the mirror stared back at him with no signs of his restless attempts to have fallen asleep. He slid open the doors and went to meet up with the others. 

They all sat out on the porch that faced the training grounds, conversing over a hearty breakfast. Kuroko was still examining his surroundings and the racks of weapons that Riko had dragged out there earlier this morning. His thoughts were interrupted when Kagami sat down next to him with his third helping of breakfast. The bluenette raised a brow in the ace's direction, an amused smile making its way onto his face. Kagami looked right back at him with a challenging glare. Kuroko shook his head and laughed very quietly.

“You will be sick during training if you keep eating like that Kagami-kun.” Kuroko stated.

“No I wont.” He grunted and looked away with an almost pout.

Kuroko smiled again at his boyfriend's stubbornness and leaned his head against Kagami's shoulder, relaxing against him. The redhead stiffened but after a few seconds relaxed again and kept eating. He looked down at Kuroko with a warm look in his eyes reserved only for the shorter boy. Kuroko turned his gaze towards Akashi whom had gone a little quiet, he guessed it was because Furihata wasn't present this morning. It was a little unsettling how Akashi's demeanor had changed so drastically in such a short period of time. In saying this Kuroko was also pleased that Akashi had found someone that caught his interests, after all the emperor had never shown these near alarming levels of affection or interest towards anyone before. 

After breakfast had ended Riko began training with a fiery determination that seemed to spur all of the miracles on. They started off with basic muscle training which quickly progressed into torturous training for them all. With muscles screaming in protest and tired groans Riko let the boys have a couple hours of rest.   
The days quickly began to fly by as Riko slowly perfected their muscular endurance and strength until she was satisfied. They boys in turn grew stronger again and possibly more so than when they used to play basketball. The routine had lasted about three weeks until Riko announced they were moving on to weapon training. 

The following day they were assigned their weapons based on their skill level, strength and where their talent lay. 

Kuroko was given two short daggers with razor sharp edges and simple black handles, they didn't draw attention but would cause copious amounts of damage, similar to the boy   
himself. Next up Kise was handed a long polished katana with a silver blade and white handle, gold studs running up each side of the handle. The blonde grinned and sheathed his blade proudly. Aomine eyed his blade with interest as Riko carefully handed the gleaming weapon to him. The Khopesh was about the length of his fore-arm and the blade itself was fairly wide, the handle was accordingly a navy blue colour. Kagami stepped forward to receive his weapon. A longsword with a slightly wider blade than most, the handle's primary colour being black with a smooth red stone in the hilt. Kagami grinned and tested it's weight out before sheathing it. Midorima looked a little quizzical as he was handed a modern styled crossbow with silver and green markings. He closely examined its mechanics and raised his eyebrow in an impressed manner. He nodded thanks towards Riko after being passed extra arrows. Murasakibara's lips quirked up into the beginnings of a dangerous smirk as Riko struggled to hand him a large double edged battle axe. The giant handled the weapon easily, as if it almost weighed nothing, he held the axe in one hand and popped another sweet into his mouth using the other hand. Riko watched him warily for a moment before moving onto Akashi. She took a deep breath and walked over to the rack. She carefully pulled off the elaborate weapon and walked back towards Akashi, holding out the compound bow for him to take. Akashi's eyes widened, he was more familiar with longbows and re-curve bows, he had never handled a compound bow before but it was lighter than he expected it to be. The bow itself was a crimson red with black decal. Riko watched him examine his weapon before making comment.

“Don't underestimate its power.” she said before handing him extra arrows that were black with golden feather tips.  
The redhead didn't contradict her as he was not sure himself what this kind of bow was capable of. She looked over them all before putting her hands on her hips again, her expression serious. 

“For the rest of the day you are free to explore the city but tomorrow you will all be learning how to wield your weapons and how to look after them, understood?” she said with a raised brow. 

Akashi nodded along with the rest of them and was glad for the training reprieve. He conversed with the others for a moment and watched as they swung their weapons around (from a safe distance of course) He looked down at the compound bow that he still held and was eager to learn how to fire it but it could wait until tomorrow. He looked at the bracelet still fastened to his wrist and smiled softly when he was sure no-one was looking. He looked up at the sky and judged it was around three in the afternoon. He dropped off his weapon in his room and went for a shower, washing away all the sweat and dirt from his skin. He kneaded his shoulders and sighed in relief when they loosened up, he stared at the bracelet still tied to his wrist and smiled stupidly wondering how such a small thing could make him this happy. After a while he turned the water off and dried himself before changing into a simple red kimono with white dragon patterns along the hems of his outfit. He walked outside and noticed the others had left already, presumably to go and explore. He walked over to Riko who was working on training regiments and cleared his throat rather loudly. The woman looked up at him with a raised brow. 

“Can I help you?” she asked 

“Where might I find Furihata-san?” he asked with a mostly neutral voice, trying to keep the eagerness out of it. 

Riko managed to smother a smirk that wanted to stretch across her lips. “Furihata-san lives close to the Tanzanite rivers in a small building, but I am not sure if he would be home right now.” She said as evenly as possible.

“Which direction is that?” He asked a little impatiently.

“Back through the city, at the Kasuga Torii turn down the narrowest dirt path on your left and keep following it. You will approach the beginnings of the river near the outskirts of the woods after about five minutes of walking. Turn to your right and keep following along the river banks until you reach a clearing and there you will find his house.” she finished with a small smile on her features although her eyes had a sly look to them. 

Akashi thanked her and turned, he briefly questioned why she didn't even question his motives or why she was so explicit in her instructions but the bigger part of him didn't care; he was just happy to go and seek out Furihata. 

The redhead practically ran back through the city but in the new attire he didn't attract as many eyes as he previously did In his business suit. He stood at the Torii and faced back into the city before turning to his left, his calm complexion wavered as he noticed there were many dirt paths but he focused and located the narrowest path. He followed it, hoping that he had indeed chosen the right one. He started counting in his head and sighed in relief when after approximately five minutes the river bank came into view.   
He followed the riverbank and the further along he walked the more he was amazed. The trees looked old and soft in a sense, drooping branches that spread out and wove in with other tree branches over the top of him. The trunks were thick and smooth and the branches gradually thinned as they neared their ends. The difference in the tree's heights varied as well. Akashi could reach the branches of some trees while others were taller than Aomine's dragon. The air was cooler and his surroundings darker as he continued walking with only fragments of sunlight filtering through the branches. Flowers of different shape and colour bloomed on tree branches and along the riverbank. Sweet smells wafted towards Akashi and he visibly relaxed as a drowsy feeling settled over him. He looked at the river and finally understood why it wad called the Tanzanite river. The water was so clear it almost looked like it was glowing. Swirls of blue and purple could be seen along the bottom of the river. Along the rivers edge were small clumps of raw Tanzanite crystal that grew out from other rocks, soil and even the trunks of some trees. He instantly preferred these surroundings to the ones of the city that he left behind, the air was clean and crisp; he felt more alive than he had been when he was constantly breathing in the city's fumes and stench. 

Eventually he came to a stop when he heard noises. He looked around and caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye. He turned until he saw Hoshimi standing among some of the ferns and flowers. Akashi was mesmerised as the stag also turned its head to look at him. The beast's eyes showed intelligence that Akashi had thought only the eyes of humans were capable of showing. He also properly faced Hoshimi and the stag slowly yet gracefully moved towards him. Akashi stood stock still, not wanting to scare off the stag with the fear of displeasing Furihata. There was only a couple of feet distance between them now and yet there was a confidence the stag gave off that seemed to surprise Akashi. Hoshimi lowered its head slightly and Akashi understood. The prodigy reached up and gently stroked Hoshimi's muzzle in the form of a greeting. After a few minutes of the silent communication between them Hoshimi raised his head again and started walking further along the edge of the river. Akashi walked alongside him in silence, the stag didn't seem to mind Akashi's presence as they watched the afternoon light fading to twilight while walking along the path that slowly widened. 

Akashi's lips parted in wonder as they came upon the small clearing, a medium sized traditional Japanese house sat in the centre of the long swaying grass. The evening light flooded the clearing as no trees blocked out the light. The river continued on past the house, running along it's left side. The roof and support beams were a deep brown while the walls were a white colour. Numerous small square panes of glass were fitted in the sliding doors and larger panels taking up large spaces of the walls giving it more of an open look. The corners of the roof were turned up and from each one hung a charm of some sort. A porch also ran around the perimeter of the building, overhanging the river. Although rather than the roof's dark colouring the floorboards were a lighter brown. Akashi then noticed a small magnolia tree along the left side of the house growing out of the riverbank, its branches swaying over the crystal clear river; only the falling petals rippling the water's surface. The tree reminded him of home he expected to feel homesick or some form of sadness but he felt nothing. Another petal hit the water's surface and Akashi smiled, he had not even approached the house yet it somehow felt like he would belong here. 

Hoshimi walked ahead of Akashi and jumped straight up onto the porch with a practised ease, not bothering with the stairs. Akashi was mildly amused as he watched the stag sit down, folding its legs underneath him. The scene reminded Akashi of a dog waiting for its master. He was about to walk towards the house himself when a noise caused his eyes to snap up towards its source. Heat rose to his cheeks as he watched Furihata slide open the door. He wore a long white and gold yukata with wide sleeves. The bottom of the garment dragged behind him as he walked along the porch. His hair and skin looked really soft in the evening light and Akashi watched in awe. The brunette had not noticed him as he smiled fondly and kneeled in front of the stag; he pressed his forehead to Hoshimi's and closed his eyes, murmuring something in his own tongue. The stag made a noise of content and Furihata chuckled softly before he leaned back; tenderly stroking his muzzle. 

Akashi had to admit that he was a little jealous of the tender affection Hoshimi was receiving and he quietly took a few steps towards them. Hoshimi looked towards Akashi and snorted, drawing the brunette's attention towards the redhead. Furihata's jaw went slack and he flushed a deep crimson. The shorter shot to his feet and bowed deeply.

“G-good ev-vening A-Akashi s-sama.” the brunette stuttered 

In his mild panic attack Furihata was so confused, what was Akashi doing here? At his house of all places!? Had he done something wrong? Was the emperor displeased with him? He was about to utter a series of apologies when a single touch stopped him. Akashi tilted Furihata's chin up with the tips of his fingers. The brunette bit his bottom lip and slowly straightened up again, following the guide of Akashi's touch. Akashi watched as Furihata slowly lifted his face so he could stare into those warm chocolate brown eyes of his. With no small amount of regret Akashi pulled his hand away from Furihata's warm skin after noticing the distress the other seemed to be in. The brunette subconsciously followed his retreating hand for a second before he realised what was happening, his blush darkened and he stood rigidly. 

“I-if I m-may inq-quire..” he said nervously “W-what ar-re y-you d-doing h-here?” 

Akashi watched the boy's adorable flush and resisted the temptation to touch him again. He then panicked for a moment at his lack of a thought out reason but then he smiled. “I thought I would come and visit, to thank you since you did save my life.” 

Furihata smiled softly and Akashi's heart stopped, he felt as if someone had stolen the air from his lungs. He eyes were glued Furihata blinked, those dark lashes fluttering against his cheeks until the warm eyes were once again on him. The brunette was suffering similar emotions as their leader smiled at him, him! Of all people. Some of the tension drained from him and he took another breath.

“C-can I offer you some t-tea?” he said with less stutter in his words. 

Akashi nodded with another one of his rare soft smiles, “That would be nice.”

Furihata nodded and led him inside and out of the quickly cooling night air. The brunette proceeded to show him around his home. They walked inside and were in the living/dining room which was mostly bare except for a few mats and a kotatsu set in the middle of the room. They walked down the narrow hallway and Furihata pointed out the bathroom and toilet as well as the kitchen, guest bedroom and another empty room. He pointed out where his room was but the door was shut so Akashi couldn't see inside. The timber floors were also a lighter colour to give the interior a lighter feel to it. Akashi smiled. The house was small but somehow it was perfect, it didn't feel like a house it felt like a home. One where someone lived in it and loved it. Akashi was watching the brunette again as he seemed to grow more comfortable while leading him around his house. Eventually they returned to the kitchen and Furihata put on some tea for them both. 

“You live here on your own?” Akashi asked carefully not wanting to startle Furihata.

“U-uh well I have H-hoshimi.” He stuttered 

“But don't you get lonely?” 

The brunette thought this over before he shook his head, “I h-have plenty of v-visitors.”

The redhead hummed, “What exactly is a whisperer?” 

Furihata turned to face him and half smiled, “We c-can influence your emotions if w-we please but we only use our talents to help! Like calming people down o-or making them   
feel better when they are sad.” 

Akashi smiled at how flustered the other looked and he spoke again, “Are you going to be at training?” 

“Yes, Riko-san has r-requested my help when you learn to handle your d-dragons.” he finished. 

Akashi winced slightly but nodded.

They kept talking about things until the tea bubbled and Furihata poured the steaming liquid in two cups. He set one of them on the table in front of Akashi and walked over with his own. Akashi nodded his thanks and got comfortable in one of the chairs. Furihata sat next to him and carefully took a sip. Akashi didn't know what flavour to expect but when the warm liquid his his tongue he was in bliss. It was sweet, but not too sweet; more like a vanilla flavour with a little bit more sugar in it. He couldn't exactly describe what it tasted like but he knew he was already addicted to it. He took another generous sip and closed his eyes, relaxing in the chair. 

Furihata couldn't tear his gaze away from Akashi as he watched the redhead relax, he looked so much younger and more handsome with the soft expression he was currently wearing. Furihata's ears were burning but he still couldn't look away. He was about to move away, fearing he would do something stupid but a warm hand snagged his and he let out a surprised squeak. He looked at Akashi's hand which covered his own. He bit down on his bottom lip and slowly lifted his gaze to Akashi's face again. He was as red as Akashi's hair when he noticed those beautiful red and yellow eyes looking back at him, half open and looking sleepy. 

“Thank you Furihata-kun, for saving my life.” he said softly.

Furihata's heart beat furiously in his chest and he opened his mouth to say something but nothing intelligible came out of it. He sealed his lips and nodded in return, diverting his gaze. His skin burned where Akashi was touching it and he wished the other would never let go of his hand. Furihata was playing with fire but he couldn't bring himself to pull away again. He very slowly rotated his palm and loosely grasped Akashi's fingers, terrified he would get a negative reaction. Akashi's eyes widened and he looked at their hands before grinning and properly interlocking their hands together; the brunette's hand fitting snugly within his. There was the cutest squeak of surprise from the brunette and Akashi watched him but he was looking away, probably out of embarrassment. After a long stretch of silence passed Akashi briefly looked outside noticing how dark it was; his good mood grew ill knowing he would have to leave soon when he was finally getting to hold the beauty's hand. Before his mood could sour further the brunette spoke very softly.  
“u-umm its r-really late and I d-don't w-want you to get h-hurt on t-the way b-back….. W-would you l-like to s-stay the n-night?” he finished, growing quieter towards the end.   
Akashi's grin replaced his frown and his eyes glistened as he looked towards the brunette again. “I think I shall accept your offer Furihata-kun.” he practically purred. 

Furihata's blush was in full bloom again as he nodded furiously, he stood but was stopped when Akashi didn't let go of his hand. The redhead stood up and took Furihata's empty cup before placing them both on the sink. Furihata's breathing was uneven as he led Akashi towards the guest room that overlooked the river only just managing not to fall flat on his face. They stood in the doorway looking at each other, not speaking just watching the other. Akashi's gaze traveled to where the intricate ink swirls curled around the sides of Furihata's elegant neck. The followed the trail of swirls until it seemed to be forming a shape of sorts but it was hidden beneath his yukata. Akashi's eyebrow twitched, the curiosity eating away at him but against his desire he remained silent and motionless. 

After a while Furihata seemed to practically glow with the flush that had consumed his entire face. The brunette let go of his hand and bid him a shaky goodnight before vanishing inside his own room. Akashi watched him go with that stupid smile in his face. He eventually closed the door behind him and snuggled down in the futon holding his hand close to his chest. He knew there was something special between them, a warmth that he wouldn't find in anyone else. He closed his eyes and dreamed of chocolate brown eyes and a soft smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love me some feedback :D


	6. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whispers in the afternoon sun, a confession from the softest lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN LIKE A YEARRRRRRRRRR 
> 
> I have been super busy with work ;-; 
> 
> I hope some of you amazing readers are still with me on this journey! 
> 
> This is one of the chapter's you've probably been waiting for, for like everrrrrr. 
> 
> This chapter is a little shorter than the rest, but I'm slowly trying to get back into the swing of writing this :P I promise I won't abandon it!!!!
> 
>  
> 
> KNB belongs to it's respectful owners.

Discomfort didn’t quite cover it as Aomine hung upside down from the saddle, still half tethered to his dragon. The beast above him made displeased grumbles as it shifted to the side, the bluenette swinging along with the motion. He growled and reached up to one of the leather straps and attempted to pull himself up but it appeared to be futile. Riko had begun instructing them on how to saddle their dragons properly, including strapping on the intricate harness and saddle with large brass buckles. He hadn’t buckled the belly straps tight enough causing the saddle to slip when he was tying himself to the harness, leading to his current situation. His face darkened to a scowl as the blood rushed to his head. A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Kise sitting up on his dragon, the saddle properly fastened. The blond smirked down as the ace and tapped a spot along the side of the golden dragon’s neck. There was a low pitched whistle from the beast and it lowered itself into a sitting position. Aomine’s eyes widened wondering how Kise had learned that trick so quickly. The blond walked over to him and smiled, his gaze softening from its previous smirk. 

“A little stuck love?” he chuckled quietly. 

Aomine growled at him, “Just help me baka!” 

The blonde raised his perfectly arched eyebrow and reached up before giving two of the larger straps a strong tug. A split second of silence before a curse erupted from the blunette as he landed in an ungraceful heap at Kise’s feet. Aomine managed to still glare even though his legs had ended up over his head, it was impressive really. Soon enough he rolled over and stood up. Kise grinned and pecked Aomine on the lips before bouncing back over his dragon and swinging himself up into the saddle. The blonde’s dragon rose from its sitting position and moved over towards the others. Aomine grumbled softly but the corners of his lips quirked up into the beginnings of a smile. There was a rumble from above him and Aomine walked out from under the dragon’s belly.  
“Let’s try this again.” He grumbled and glared daggers at the saddle.

Akashi had come to some level of understanding with his dragon although it was still more of an uneasy truce at the moment. He expertly fastened the saddle and the dragon lowered its head so he could pull the reins over its muzzle. Thankfully the dragon didn’t put up much of a fuss as he tightened the large buckles so they wouldn’t slip. It was one thing for Aomine to muck up on something like that but his pride wouldn’t allow a slip up of those epic proportions. He had smirked as he watched the other fall before turning back to his own tasks. After a while he had found it difficult to concentrate, his thoughts wandering back to the brunette. He had regretted leaving, he regretted the walk back and he regretted this morning’s training. He wanted nothing more than to have stayed with Furihata and bask in his warm comforting presence. The adorable brunette had smiled and waved him goodbye from the porch as he had left. The morning light had been filtering through the trees, making everything glow softly. Furihata looked like an angel, standing there smiling whilst the light highlighted his adorable features. Akashi smiled at the memory, a pleased sigh escaping his parted lips. A rumble from his dragon caused him to look up. The beast was looking down at him with a raised eye ridge. The redhead fastened him with a steely glare before making a gesture for it to lower itself so he could climb up. There was a moment where He believed the dragon was going to ignore him but their shaky truce prevailed and the beast lowered itself down to his level. He walked up the beast’s foreleg and sat in the saddle before tying his own harness to the steel loops of the saddle. Their harnesses comprised of crisscrossing straps across their chests and legs which would prevent the recoil hurting them if they happened to fall from the saddle during mid-flight. After many frustrating hours of practice and Riko’s constant shouting they were finally getting the hang of the dragon’s movements when walking around. There had been many muffled curses and near falls as the boys grew accustomed to the foreign sensations of the dragon’s walking. Akashi closed his eyes as he felt himself swaying slightly whilst proceeding forwards, it still felt odd but he found it to be rather relaxing. They were not allowed to fly yet but the persistent woman promised them that they would be flying by the end of the week. In the back of his mind he was still trying to process the severe strangeness of their situation, though as more of this new world’s intricacy’s and excitement was revealed the less he found himself caring about the total bizarreness surrounding them. 

The days continued to fly past and they grew stronger, both as an individual and as a team. Akashi frequently visited the brunette and their relationship began to flourish more by each and every moment.  
They were sitting side by side of Furihata’s porch with their sides comfortably pressed together. Furihata was laughing softly as he told Akashi stories about his training days. Akashi’s heart thundered as he watched the curve of Kouki’s lips while he spoke, or the way his eyes would glitter under the rays of the afternoon sun. He wanted nothing more than to profess his love and kiss the brunette with a promise to love him forever, but he held back. His eyes widened a fraction as he realised something rather startling… he was nervous. He didn’t want to ruin this. The sensation was strange to him. He did not remember feeling nervous about anything before, but he knew that the brunette was special, and he wouldn’t dare hurt him. He leaned his head back and looked to the sky as if seeking some answer to his internal dilemma. 

“Akashi san…?” the brunette asked quietly. 

There was no response. Kouki quirked an eyebrow and looked towards the redhead. He noticed that the rider seemed to be distracted by something and was not paying attention anymore. He was a little unsure if he should try and get Akashi’s attention again but he took a quiet breath.

“Akashi san.” He repeated a little louder. Still no response.

Akashi was staring out towards the sky, his face relaxed except for the tiny furrow of his brows. Warmth bloomed in Furihata’s chest and he breath was stolen away. Akashi was as beautiful as the sun washed over him, highlighting his profile. Furihata saw a warrior, brave and loyal but underneath that he saw someone who was slowly learning how to be happy. When they had first met Furihata was both intrigued and terrified by the emperor of Rakuzan. Back then Akashi had been cold and bitter with only a slight reprieve for his friends. He had softened since arriving in this world, had slowly warmed up, now he seemed to enjoy himself even though he still portrayed a look of indifference. Furi fell more in love with him every single day, he knew his feelings were true and wouldn’t be able to deny them much longer. His gaze landed on Akashi’s face and his smile softened into a warm loving one. He slowly reached out as his brain shut down. He didn’t realise what he was doing until his fingers came into contact with the soft skin of Akashi’s cheek.

Akashi’s head whipped around so fast that Furihata nearly let out a startled cry. He hurriedly snatched his hand back but the redhead caught Furihata’s hand in his own. The brunette started stammering apologies and turned his head away, hiding behind his bangs. He was shaking badly, fearing that Akashi would be angry at him for daring to touch him.  
“Kouki.” Came the soft and not at all angry voice.

Furihata fell silent; he bit his bottom lip softly, still avoiding Akashi’s intense stare. He made a quiet noise of surprise as he felt long slender fingers against his cheek, tilting his face up so Akashi could see him. 

He squeezed the brunette’s hand softly and intertwined their fingers. He had not expected the contact when the other had touched him, his fingers were warm and smooth against his cheek, he had been pleasantly surprised but promptly kicked himself as he had accidently startled the angel beside him. As of late he had been pleased when Furihata had gotten more comfortable around him. He didn’t stutter much anymore and was receptive to casual touches. He looked into those warm golden brown eyes and felt his heart rate quicken. 

They were staring at each other as the world fell silent around them. There were no threats of war, no barriers, no thoughts; just emotion. Akashi’s thumb brushed over Kouki’s bottom lip before he slowly leaned in, focused on the beautiful boy before him. Furihata’s eyes widened a fraction and his heart thundered in his chest. He didn’t believe his own eyes as Akashi leaned towards him, something in his expression which took Furihata’s breath away yet again. Their lips met in a soft tender kiss, his eyes fell closed. 

Akashi could die a very happy man as he felt Furihata return the kiss. He gently shifted and pulled the brunette into his lap before wrapping his arms around him. It was soft and timid but Furihata reached up with both hands and held Akashi’s face between his hands. They parted for a breath but their foreheads still rested against each other. 

“A-akashi san…” He said softly, still a little bewildered. 

“Seijuro.” He said softly in return.

“Excuse me?” Furihata said, a little confused. 

“Call me Seijuro, that is my name after all.” Akashi smiled and caressed Furihata’s bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. 

He couldn’t think straight, his chest felt warm as Seijuro looked at him with that soft smile. “I Love you…” 

The words left Furihata’s mouth before he realised what he was saying. Everything fell silent. Akashi’s eyes widened considerably and he stared at Furihata dumbly before he processed the statement. The biggest smile broke out over his face and he kissed Furihata again. More passionately this time. His grip on the other boy tightened and when they parted for air Akashi peppered butterfly kisses along his cheek and jawline.

“I love you too.” Akashi purred between kisses. 

Furihata’s whole face burned, his heart fluttered in his chest at the words from the redhead. His feelings were reciprocated; he could have cried in joy. The redhead reached up to cup Furi’s cheek, the sleeve of his kimono falling in the progress. Furihata’s eyes widened as he saw the bracelet fastened firmly on Akashi’s wrist. He smiled at it, pleased that Seijuro was wearing it. Instead of pointing it out he let it be and turned back to the redhead who had his face pressed against his Kouki’s neck. 

Night fell, and the two of them sharing soft butterfly kisses. Akashi refusing to let the brunette out of his grasp. Barely able to contain the joy that welled up in his chest each and every time he looked at Kouki. He knew, this was something worth fighting for, that he would fight for them. Even with the odds stacked against them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously I can't promise the next chapter right away but I will try my hardest!
> 
> Again to those who have been on this journey with me and hopefully still are, I love you all! 
> 
> Sorry for any poor grammar/spelling XD 
> 
> Feedback/kudos is so very greatly appreciated :D


	7. Hazel Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those eyes don't belong to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! another shorter chapter but I think this one needed to stay short anyway. 
> 
> This chapter is a little darker, there is a death! read with caution (it's not too graphic) 
> 
> KNB belongs to its respectful owners, I only own the plot!

His ears rang, there was noise surrounding him. No matter which way he turned there was endless noise. He couldn’t make any of it out as it rose in volume by each passing minute.  
Why was it so dark…?

He reached out blindly in the darkness, the air felt so thick; almost tangible. The noise started to bend into distinguishable patterns. A bead of sweat ran down the back of his neck and he clenched his hands.  
  
_Screams…_  


Why was there screaming? He gritted his teeth and pulled at the darkness as it coiled around him. His senses being dulled and sharpened at random, throwing him off balance. He struggled against the seemingly invisible restraints. His brows drew together, he hurt so much. Though the pain was overshadowed as light began to filter through the darkness. The screaming continued. But he focused on what was in front of him. The coils of darkness fell away. He looked to his feet, there was torn up earth beneath him. He raised his head, the land was also destroyed, trees set ablaze and the sky dripping red.

What horrified him most was the figures all around him, no one looked at him, no one stood. They were all marked, marked by death itself. Scarlet pools widening around them. His mouth opened, tears ran down his cheeks. A figure not far from him moved in the slightest, death hovering right over him. He ran towards them. Everything felt slow, like he was underwater, fighting against the currents of the ocean. He fought until he collapsed on his knees next to the figure laying on his back. He was beautiful, chestnut brown hair that looked soft to the touch. Hazel eyes which had blearily turned to face him. They were slowly turning cold, their shine fading. Gold bands adorned his arms and neck, a tattered uniform bearing the crest of an army he knew not of. He looked further, there was blood, so much blood. He shook, there was a pain in his chest. So great he felt like he would die from it. He tried saying something but the words would not be pried from his closed over throat.

He turned back to the figures face, something about the stranger seemed so familiar, the soft features, button nose, smooth skin. He couldn’t think straight he was in so much agony. There was a grip on his wrist, the figure had grasped onto him but it was slippery with blood. He coughed, the sound rattling in his chest, gurgling noises bubbling up in his throat. A trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his lip.

He snapped to attention and focused on the dying figure, those hazel eyes stared into his. The softest and most loving expression in their depths.

More tears blurred his vision, he wanted the man to say something… anything.

“I love you..” came the quietest voice, but amidst the chaos it rang loudest.

The light faded from his eyes and his limp arm fell to his side.

He continued to stare as death raised his hand from the figure, his face frozen, tears streaming from his eyes. He turned his head up, mouth open wide.

_Then he realised…_

_He was the one screaming…_

Agony tore apart his chest from the inside out, he screamed to the red skies and gathered the figure up in his arms, rocking back and forth, cradling the man in his arms. He sobbed against his soft hair that fluttered in the breeze, soaking it with his tears.

_Why why why…_

This man meant so much to him and he didn’t even know his name. Didn’t know anything about him.

_He screamed all the louder._

The skies broke under the force of his loss, rain pelted down on them. Thunder rumbled overhead, echoing his pain. Lightning lit up the massacre surrounding them.

A single word came to his mind, amidst the broken shards of shattered emotions.

_Kouichi…_

He said it out loud, this seemed to make it so much worse. He knew, It belonged to the figure cradled in his arms.

_“Kouichi, Kouichi, Kouichi, Kouchi…”_

His screams had softened to heaving sobs, he brushed the wet hair off Kouichi’s face as rain ran down his cheeks. He stared at Kouichi willing him to do something… anything. The silence stretched on,  
He held him closer.

Time seemed to slow down, Kouichi’s eyes flicked open eerily and stared at him.

_He screamed…_

_They weren’t his eyes…_

Warm chocolate eyes stared up at him

Akashi bolted upright in bed, only just managing to contain his panic. Sweat staining the futon, hands shaking. His eyes were wide as he struggled to breathe. Those eyes were burned into his memory.

His looked to his left and his heart stopped, Kouki wasn’t next to him anymore.

He stumbled from the futon, only just managing not to trip. He ran out to the porch, his loud footsteps and frantic heartbeat filling his ears. He looked everywhere but he couldn’t see his love. The moon  
shone down against the grass, turning everything a ghostly white. He called Furihata’s name to the empty sky before falling to his knees.

He didn’t know why he had suddenly turned into such an emotional wreck but his chest hurt. He felt like his heart had been shattered into a million pieces. He couldn’t find Kouki. With the stress rapidly mounting he fell to his knees, sobs causing his entire frame to shake.

He didn’t hear the hurried footsteps or the panic as someone called his name over and over. Akashi had tuned everything out as the darkness enclosed around him again. He curled in on himself a little more before his eyes flew open in surprise. The coldness was chased away as warmth encased him within its tender hold. His face was buried against a soft material that tickled his nose. He felt a thudding against his cheek. His tears had stopped, he felt calm and relaxed. The redhead slowly looked up to see the face of his angel looking down on him with a wide eyed startled expression.

“Seijuro…?” came Kouki’s panicked voice, highly alarmed by the state he had found the emperor in.

Akashi stared at him a little longer with red rimmed eyes, he blinked. For a second the bloodied face of Kouichi returned his gaze but Akashi shook his head, dispersing the memory.

Furihata pulled him closer, wanting to ask what was wrong, what could have possibly got him this worked up. He just didn’t know how to go about it. Akashi saved him the trouble, he leaned up and placed a soft kiss on the brunette’s jawline.

“Kouichi…” he said, a mere whisper.

Furihata stopped dead still, eyes widening to saucers before falling closed.

“Yes Samuru?” He said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You would not understand how difficult it was to format this chapter, ugh -_-' 
> 
> Kudos/Comments are always appreciated! 
> 
> love you all :D


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